Cursed, Damned & Saved
by joshua.hiersekorn
Summary: A vampire, known as Subject Infinity was sent to a new world to stop the forces of order. Can he tame his hunger and his heart? Or will they lead to the downfall of humanity? Formerly known as Collateral Damage. Characters from The Elder Scrolls will join! Please Enjoy.
1. A Whole New World

**This is a story that I've been working on for a while.**

**Please review? I love feedback.**

**I see lots of people do this, so I assume I should too.**

**Mass effect is property of Bioware, I own nothing. All other Characters are property of their owners. Not me. I own only my original characters.**

* * *

That night, the first night back from my tour in the Middle East, I was walking down the street, minding my own business, when I heard noises from an alley way behind me. I decided to check it out, which in hindsight wasn't such a bright idea, but hey, retrospect is a bitch. I looked around the corner to the alley, where a masked man held a civilian at knifepoint. The civilian had dark brown hair with a stony yet regal face. Somehow, there wasn't really an overflow of fear from the poor dude.

"I told you man, I want your money." The criminal said. There was a hint of desperation to his voice. "You don't have to get hurt."

The dark blond, Turkish man chuckled; "Trying to hurt me would be a really bad idea. I advise against it."

If I could go back, I'd likely kick myself for not getting the fuck out of dodge and just forgetting about it all. Yeah, that'd be nice. Instead, I of course wasn't going to leave. Yay me and my morale.

"This ain't funny man! I need the money."

"I find this very funny, your feeble attempts at intimidation amuse me."

Whoever this guy was, he was about to get himself killed, or so I thought. Yep, my thoughts weren't geared towards messing with reality. I saw 'guy with knife' versus 'guy without knife'.

The criminal lunged forward, stabbing the unarmed man in the chest. The blade buried itself down to the hilt, between his lower ribs.

"Don't kill him!" I said as I ran into the alley "I'll pay you if you stop." Idiotic words, now that I think about it. What kind of dork waits until _after_ the stabbing has been commenced before offering pay to make it stop.

"A good Samaritan?" The mans with a knife inside him said. "Oh, how this gets so much better" And exponentially much creepier as well. He didn't even sound like a man with a freaking knife caressing his organs was supposed to sound. Once more, retrospect and hindsight were.

The criminal looked back and forth between us, unable to decide how to continue. I don't really blame his indecision, considering the guy at the wall was talking like nothing had happened.

"I await your decision little man." He said with a grin bigger than before. Yep, definitely creepy as fuck.

"Shut up dude, just fucking shut up!" The criminal let go of his knife , still inside the other man, and backed up while clutching his head. Part of me screamed to run, but my legs wouldn't move.

"Oh, I think you forgot your knife" The man said, smiling like a fucking creep. Okay, this is definitely fucked up. And why the fuck can't I… oh God…

"I said shut up, motherfucker! You're not supposed to be fucking talking!"

"Don't you want your knife back?"

The criminal clutched his head, rocking violently from side to side. "My head, oh god, stop! Please!"

"Both of you stop" I said, but something whispered to me, from the depth of my mind.

_Silence..._

"Don't you want that man's money? He offered it to you" See, this is why I don't usually drink when I'm on vacations. Freaky shit happens when I'm drunk as a goat. _This is just that. I'm just drunk and passed out. Yeah, that's gotta be it._

Tears ran down the criminals eyes as he backed up against the wall of the alley. His eyes glazed over as he pulled out a small gun, a 22. Caliber, most likely. "Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. S_HUT UP!_"

"You think a tiny gun will hurt me?" He said. _That's it! I'm done with Gin-tonic!_

"Sto-" I tried.

_SILENCE!_

The criminal grabbed my neck and placed the gun to my head. "What about him? I bet it would hurt him!" He pushed the gun into my head and laughed. Not the 'Oh that is surely funny!, kind of laugh. More like 'I'm dressed as a banana!' kind of laugh.

"The good Samaritan?"

"SHUT UP!" The gun went off, sending a bullet through the side of my head and out the top. I fell to the floor, unable to move as a bitter cold swept over me. _Funny, this is where Jesus was supposed to step in and save me… Oh wait, I didn't give to the poor… that's biting me now… huuuh… so… I'm… just going to… to lie… to lie here and…_

The sound of the world faded as I watched the Turk move like lighting, and before I knew it, the criminal was on the floor next to me with a broken neck. The light in his eyes disappeared and I knew he was dead.

Good Samaritan? I didn't help anyone, I only made the situation worse. Good Samaritan... More like, a dead loser, a fuck up, in this fucked up world.

"A pity, that you should be punished for coming to my aid even if it was unneeded." There was a pause and I thought the Turk left.

"Drink" he said as he forced a warm liquid into my mouth. I swallowed a mouthful before fading into darkness. _So, this is how dying looks? So, if seeing a light means Heaven… Darkness must mean Candy mountain? Oh man, I'm so high right now… why, I didn't smoke anything…_

"My head" Conscience returned with a snap of clarity.

"So your finally awake, it took you a while."

"What happened to me?" I asked.

"Y_ou_ _d__on't_ _remember?"_

I focused hard and searched my memories. Not an easy thing when my mind felt like someone had tossed a brick in a washing machine.

"I was walking home, and then I saw a mugging. And..." My eyes shot wide open as I looked at the man sitting across from me. "_You..._"

"So you do remember, good." The whispering tone to his voice was all but gone, replaced with a much more… serene, but human voice.

"What the fuck did you do to that guys head?" I exclaimed as I backed away from the man.

"Is that anyway to talk to someone who brought you into their home when you needed it?"

"Fine." I said. "Thank you."

"See, that wasn't so hard" He said as took a sip of a red stained glass. "My name is Klaus"

"Klaus? Well my name is... I'm... I'm... Huh." I had forgotten my name and it scared me to imagine what else I may have forgotten.

"Don't think too hard, you're bound to have a bit of head trauma."

"Head trauma?" A gunshot went off in my head, like a recorder playing back. "I was shot, in the head?"

"Aren't you curious?"

"About?"

"You were shot in the head and you're alive"

I searched my memories for an answer, but all I felt was a sharp stabbing pain just above my eyes as I thought.

"Tell me." I said.

"I saved you with my blood. I'm a vampire." He spoke with slow, carefree yet measured words, and my vision blurred out, becoming an endless stream of images and memories, not even my own…

* * *

_Four years after becoming a vampire, long after earning a daylight ring, I was staked in the heart, sending me to the other side which is just like the mortal world, except you can't interact with anything and no one can see you. Three years later, the other side began to collapse, with a black mist stealing its inhabitants, sending them to who knows where. I was stolen, thrown into blackness._

* * *

I was surrounded on all sides by an endless void, and unholy thunder. There was no air, as I suffocated over and over, until the voice boomed through the darkness, overpowering the thunder as it's words entered my mind.

_You who have been damned._

_You are now saved._

_For I have the knowledge and the power to do so._

_I am Mora, Prince of knowledge._

_You have been saved for one purpose._

_Be my champion._

_And, stop the forces of order._

_You will bring an end to their Harbinger._

_You will ensure the survival of those your greater and lesser._

_That is your purpose, for the princes have decreed it._

The voice left me in darkness and pricks of light sprung into existence, become stars and constellations that I didn't recognize. My lungs once again cried out for air and I slowly suffocated.

I woke up, tucked in bed with warm sheets comforting me. I looked around. The room was white with numerous medical beds and a large machine that reminded me of an X-Ray. There was a woman in a white jacket standing at the opposite end of the room. She was busy typing into a data pad and thus didn't notice me wake up.

I was hungry, hungry for blood.

The doctor finished working on her tablet, which she put down on the counter next to the scanner.

My throat ached for blood as I spoke. Feeling a strange… urge, a need for violence, yet… not.

"Where am I?"

The doctor looked at me with suspicious eyes as she pushed a button on her watch. To my surprise, a holographic gauntlet appeared on her wrist. "Lawson, this is Dr. Shipley. Subject infinity is awake," she said and I used my supernatural senses to listen for "Lawson's" answer.

"Put him under again, use a double strength sedative if you need to, I'll be there shortly"

"Alright Ms. Lawson." The doctor opened a drawer and pulled out a shot.

"Don't bother, unless you can take down an elephant with that."

The doctor stopped for a moment, and looked at her orange device, then she injected me with a sedative. I fought as hard as I could until my eyes closed and I was asleep.

* * *

I woke up in the same bed, but this time there were straps holding me in place. I heard a loud alarm going off throughout the building.

"_Subject Infinity, are you awake? Respond dammit!_" Lawson's voice yelled over the room's intercom.

My head throbbed painfully as I looked around the room. Luckily I was still wearing my daylight ring "What did you do to me?"

"_Thank God. Listen, Infinity, I'm trying to help you._" And why… why was my name 'Infinity'? It seemed so… so dramatic. Unneeded.

"Why the hell would you help me after holding me here under sedation" There was a point in that, she'd have to admit it too. And why was I to trust my captors?

"_I'll explain once we're all safe, but for now the facility is under attack and I need you alive, so bloody pay attention and stop wasting time._"

I decided to go along with Ms. Lawson, at least until I was safe. If she turned on me, I did not suspect I would have trouble taking her life.

"Fine." I said, "What should I do?"

"_There's a locker with a weapon and armor in the next room, get to it._" The intercom clicked off leaving me alone, strapped to the bed.

I took a deep breath and pulled, breaking my restraints. The room looked like something out of a science fiction movie, with everything made of metal and glass and at the opposing end of the room was a black locker next to mechanical door.

"_Infinity you need to put on the spare armor._" I opened the locker. Inside was a black suit that was made from a strange material and a set of matte-red plate-mail. Once I was dressed, I heard a small buzz inside my helmet "Infinity, this is Lawson. I need you to find Commander Jane Shepard, keep her alive at all costs"

"Where is Shepard?" The situation was going too fast for me to process, so instead I chose to leave the thinking to this "Lawson" woman. Odd, she sounded rather like a woman I've heard before… not "met", but heard.

"Near the maintenance floor. The facility's on lock down, but I can create a path for you" As she spoke, the door next to me opened and I walked through, grimacing at the dead body of a human being, lying on the floor with an expression of raw horror and pain on her face. "There should be some thermal clips on the floor"

I picked up a small black rod and looked for a slot in my gun and once in, the pistol released a cloud on steam. Lawson seemed oddly calm about her apparent subordinates dying around her. Or, was this an attacker?

"There are mechs in the next room, take them out and proceed to Shepard's location"

_Mechs? As in mechanical beings... Shit this is messed up._

Two mechs waited to ambush me in the next room, but I saw them first. My marine training kicked in as I ducked behind a stack of crates and followed it around a corner, ending up behind the mechs. They didn't even know what hit them when I fired a round into the back of their mechanical heads, causing their frail chassis's to explode as the rounds tore through wiring and metal.

I ran through the door and down a hallway, taking a right turn, passing a window. On the other side, a mech the size of an ogre was shooting at numerous scientists. The event made my throat dry, craving blood.

_How long has it been since I fed?_

I pushed my hunger aside and continued, entering a small room with an elevator. At the bottom of the elevator, I found a burn mark surrounded with scrap metal that had once been mechs.

I opened the door to the next room, where two soldiers, a fiery haired woman and a strong black man, were pinned behind cover. I couldn't make it to them at the moment.

"Who are you?" The woman asked. To be honest, it was more of a startled demand than a question.

"Apparently, Subject Infinity." I responded, looking between the woman and the black man. If there was something to be learned from movies, I believed, it was that either this guy would be a major help, or the first person to die. Then again, it wasn't a movie.

"Infinity? Wow. Things must be really bad if Miranda's got both of you up and about." The black man noted, firing his weapon at the mechs on the other side of the ravine; "I'm Jacob Taylor, chief of security around here."

"Lawson told me to protect Shepard at all costs" I tried explaining. As I ran to cover, shots started hitting my armor. If anything, the expected pain was replaced with hard shudders from each impact, but nothing more.

"That would be me." The woman said, "I'm Commander Jane Shepard, Alliance Navy and Council Spectre."

"Well, Commander, what are your orders?" I asked slowly, peeking around the corner of my cover. I wasn't going to even try hitting something at this range, not without them shooting too. Aiming takes time, especially with foreign weaponry. _And I am talking to myself. Awesome._

"We need to get to the nearest exit." Jane ordered. I nodded, but remained where I was, at least until someone actually pointed us in the right direction. No sense in getting my ass shot off now.

Jacob pointed to the door to my right. "That way. But we have to deal with these mechs first."

We popped up and fired at the mechs, sending them to oblivion, as we unloaded are clips into their shiny metal ass's, but three more came from the door behind them.

"I'm a Biotic, don't worry." Jacob said, as if that explained everything.

"What's a Bio-" I was interrupted when Jacob threw a blue blast of energy at the mechs, lifting them helplessly into the air, allowing us to easily finish them off. Okay. Right. I'm not even going to ask.

"Time to move." Shepard said.

In the next room, we found a console that contained an audio log.

_"Sir, what we're trying to do here isn't possible."_

_"Then find a way."_

_"Very well, I'm assigning Operative Lawson to handle the Lazarus project, along with a new asset, Subject Infinity."_

_"Infinity? But sir, are we sure-"_

The log ended prematurely, leaving Shepard and Jacob looking at me. Well okay, Shepard was looking at me. Jacob seemed more… satisfied.

"That's Miranda's assistant, Wilson, the best scientist here" Jacob said, "Well, unless he's dead now. I really don't know the scale of this attack. And fuck, they're using our own mechs against us"

Shepard looked to Jacob "I remember Wilson being there when I woke up once"

There was a buzzing over the comms. "_Check, check! Can anyone hear me? Is anyone left on this channel?_"

Jacob activated his transmitter "Wilson, this is Jacob. We just took out a group of mechs in D-Wing"

"_Get to the security wing now. I'm pinned down by mechs._"

"We're on our way."

"_Wait, did you say we?_"

"Yeah, I'm with Shepard and Subject Infinity"

"_Damn, Shepard? Okay, just get over here! Head through the access tunnels_"

"Okay, we're on our way" Jacob led us to the access tunnels, a long set of corridors twisting and turning up and down ramps and stairs. I was starting to wonder if we were somewhere underground, what with the complete lack of windows and fresh air. This place smelled so… stale.

"Contacts!" Shepard yelled from behind a series of large pipes as two mechs fired their weapons. I was caught off guard when a slug hit my armor. Luckily, it bounced the greaves, leaving nothing but a small scratch.

"Fly." Jacob did his… biotic-thing again, suspending the mechs in the air.

"Easy pickings!" I yelled as I fired a slug, turning the closest mech into scrap metal. The combination of hunger for blood and adrenaline made me grin at the violence and chaos around me.

"Wilson, these tunnels are filled with mechs!" Jacob said.

"_Its the only way to get to me and the shuttle bay!_"

We took cover as more mechs poured into the access tunnels.

"Just how many mechs are in the facility?" I said as I shot one in the chest causing it to hit the ground with a loud clang.

"A few hundred spread throughout ten decks." Jacob said. That wasn't so bad, really. Ten mechs on each deck of… deck? Were we on a ship? It would make sense, I supposed, since this Wilson said something about a shuttle bay. Life-rafts, maybe?

"_Will you hurry up! There are mechs- Oh god, I'm hit!_" Wilson shouted in our ears as we made it up the last flight of stairs. Jacob palmed the interface for the door, opening it just in time to see a bald man shoot one of the mechs through the legs. Jane finished it off as Jacob knelt by the injured man.

"Jacob? Ahh, god, they got me in the leg!" Blood poured from his leg causing my throat to tighten in anticipation. But it wasn't the time to indulge. Even if there was _just so much_. And_ so fresh_.

"There's some Medigel one the wall." Jacob said and Shepard grabbed a canister from the wall, before smearing something yellow and foul smelling over Wilson's bleeding wound. It stopped the flow of blood, sadly.

"I was trying to find out what happened to the security mechs." Wilson said.

"I didn't ask what you were doing." Jacob said, "You don't have security clearance for security wing."

"I just told you, I was trying to stop this mess." Wilson yelled.

"Cut the chatter. There's more mechs incoming!" Shepard yelled.

Three mechs marched down the opposing hallway, but with the four of us, they were destroyed before anything serious was even fired at us. There was an unspoken agreement to finish the argument later, once we were all safe. Inside the shuttle bay, there were dozens of mechs, pinning us down behind cover. Jacob was busy using his biotics to send the mechs into the air, while Shepard was using her pistol with lethal efficiency. One shot one kill. Wilson hacked one of the mechs, flanking the group, and ordered it to attack it's former allies. Once the explosion of machines ended, we made our way to the door for the hanger.

"It's locked!" Jacob said.

"We need to find the mech with security codes." Wilson offered.

"Good idea." Shepard said.

I looked at Wilson and raised an eyebrow. "Why don't you just hack the door, and what about Lawson?"

"Miranda isn't here, she must have caused all this!"

"Hey I trust Miranda with my life!" Jacob said.

"Yeah and why would she wake me up if she planned on killing us?" Shepard asked, and she was right. Ms. Lawson wouldn't wake up a set of powerful people just to kill them. Furthermore, it bugged me that Wilson was able to hack the mechs so easily.

"Fine maybe Miranda didn't betray us, but we need to leave!" Wilson said as he started hacking the door. He was almost done when the door opened revealing a sexy woman wearing a very sexy cat suit. And a not-sexy frown as she pointed a very not-sexy gun at Wilson. "Miranda? You should be-"

"Dead?" Ms. Lawson aimed her gun at Wilson and pulled the trigger, sending him to the floor as nothing more than a corpse, that served only to make my hunger worse. _Maybe I could sneak some off? Just, while they're busy arguing?_

"Miranda! What the hell?" Jacob shouted.

Jane Shepard pulled her gun, pointing it at Miranda. She was ready to shoot if Miranda so much as a twitch.

"He betrayed us, tried to kill Shepard, tried to kill infinity, and tried to kill me." Miranda Lawson said.

"How do you know that! You could be wrong." Shepard said coldly.

"I never am." was Miranda's short response. _Fuck it, I'm not getting anything like this._

Miranda's explanation confirmed my suspicions, at least. It would also be wise to not argue with the woman holding all the answers.

"I believe her." I said.

Shepard looked from Miranda to me "Fine, but that's not how you do things! You should have captured him. As in _alive_."

"Too dangerous, but I'll keep that in mind" Miranda scoffed, but at least seemed to agree.

Jacob was noticeably nervous about standing around. "Hey guys, can we get off this station?" He asked, causing me to become even more confused. First we're underground, then there are decks, so we should have been on a ship, and now they were talking about stations?

_Just where the hell am I?_

* * *

**Hey, I hope you enjoyed. I have most of chapter two and three done, but im trying to find a beta reader/editor. PM if you're interested.**

**See you guys again, in about a week.**

**SHOUT OUT TO MIVPUS FOR EDITING WOOP WOOP**


	2. The Illusive Man

**Hello there! I hope you enjoy the second chapter of this wonderful story.**

**I own nothing except for the oc and the specific non canon events I create.**

**I think it should be restated that Infinity was a vampire for a few years before he was outed. So he knows a few tricks.**

* * *

No one spoke since we left the huge-ass space station. Probably because Shepard and Miranda had a _small_ argument before we left about leaving possible survivors behind. In the end, Miranda convinced Shepard to go along and meet her boss.

After a dreadfully long wait, Miranda broke the ice.

"Commander," she began. "Before you meet our boss, we need to ask a few questions to evaluate your condition."

"Come one, Miranda. More tests?" Jacob interjected. "Shepard took down those mechs without any trouble. That has to be good enough."

"It's been nearly two years since the attack." Miranda said. "Our boss needs to know of Shepard's personality and memories are intact. Ask the questions."

"Did you say two years?" Shepard asked incredulously.

"Yes." Jacob answered. "Tomorrow marks the second year since the attack."

"The sooner we start, the sooner we can begin." Miranda said as she began to get annoyed. "Start with personal history."

"Alright." Jacob began. "Records show you were a colonist until you enlisted at the age of eighteen. You survived a thresher maw attack that wiped out the rest of your team. Do you remember?"

Shepard stayed silent at first as something played in the back of her mind. Something very painful.

"Let's move on." she finally said.

Miranda, clearly annoyed, typed a short report of Shepard's response, or rather, lack thereof.

"Let's try something else then." Miranda said. "Think back to the Citadel, after the Council died on the Destiny Ascension and you killed Saren. What happened next?"

"With the Council dead, humanity stepped into power and formed a new Council." Shepard answered. "I recommended Ambassador Udina to lead it."

"Yes. Ambassador Udina is now Councillor Udina."

Jacob turned to Miranda and nodded to Shepard.

"See, Miranda?" he said. "The memories are there. And I can vouch for Shepard's combat skills personally."

"Alright, alright." Miranda sighed. "Let's hope our little field test will be enough for our boss."

"And who is your boss?" I asked, breaking the silence I held during the questioning. "All I hear is 'boss this' and 'boss that.'"

"The Illusive Man, leader of the human activis-"

"Cerberus." Shepard hissed, interrupting Miranda. "You're...terrorists."

* * *

"Shepard, the Illusive Man wishes to speak with you in the next room." Miranda Lawson just loves the code names.

With that, Shepard left the three of us. It felt wrong. Like something important was being hidden from Shepard and, by extension, me. I don't like secrets. Time to investigate...

"Hey, Jacob." I called as I approached him. "Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?"

"That's fine." he said. "Go ahead and ask."

"So you're a biotic, right?" Jacob nodded in response. "How strong are you?"

Jacob raised an eyebrow before answering. "I'm pretty average. I have basic, military-grade amps."

"Really? So you were in the military?"

"Human Systems Alliance Navy. What about you? You handled yourself pretty well back there."

"Yeah. I have some military training; I was a U.S Marine."

"I had the feeling." Jacob said. "Why did you quit?"

"Honestly, I don't normally talk about my life." I said at first. _Well, I guess it won't hurt..._ "I finished my first two years and my first day back home, I was shot while trying to stop a mugging. Apparently, no one cared. So I just left and never looked back."

"That's the problem with the Alliance. They lose track of what's really important." Jacob frowned softly. "That's why I joined Cerberus. I wanted to make a real difference."

"How can Cerberus do better when the Alliance can't?"

Jacob straightened and took a deep breath. "Cerberus is a multi-cell organization." he began. "We work on projects that no one else will even touch. Shepard is the perfect example of that. She was dead as dead can be. Cerberus brought her back. It spent billions of credits, something no politician would ever consider."

"I still don't understand why a terrorist organization would do something like that." I said. "I don't know Shepard, but from her reaction earlier, it's clear she hates Cerberus."

"I don't blame her... Cerberus is the reason her squad died in the thresher maw attack."

"...What?"

"Cerberus' greatest strength is also one of it's worst weaknesses. It's hard to manage the projects."

"Why would the Illusive Man fund operations without keeping a tab on them?"

"That's a difficult question to answer." Jacob stated. "Projects are required to send reports of their progress. As long as they are, Cerberus continues to fund them."

"I guess I can understand that." I said after some thought.

"I'm glad you do. You should think about joining Cerberus."

"I'll think about it. For now, I should go. Thank you, Jacob." I left him and sat on a nearby bench. The stars were unfamiliar, just like the whole god be damned universe. In the past few hours, I had more questions than I knew what to do with. Where am I? What is going on? _What the fuck are biotics? And just who the hell is Commander Shepard?_

_Sure, she was almost as deadly as a ninja vampire on steroids. But to spend billions on bringing her back from the dead? That's crazy! Beyond a shadow of a doubt mad! I hope I never have to meet this Illusive Man... Ughh, I'm so thirsty!_

Then, I had a thought.

"Miranda!" I said as I ran towards her. I could have ripped her head off if I felt like it, but I didn't. Would've been funny though.

"Yes?" she asked innocently.

"You owe me some answers." I said. "Now."

"I knew this would come sooner or later." she said. "There's only so much I can tell you. In exchange, however, I need you to answer some questions, to fill in blanks."

_It would be so much easier to compel her, or rip her head off and be done with it..._ "Fine. What can you tell me?"

"A Cerberus satellite detected a massive mass effect field near the edges of the Traverse, so we sent a team to find the source. We expected to find remnants of a dreadnought but instead we found you, floating in space. You were inside a barrier; it didn't make sense. The team fired an electro-magnetic pulse missile, hoping to disrupt the barrier and keep your body intact."

"They fired a missile at me?!" _Who fires a missile as a first response!?_

"Yes. Except the result was unexpected. Instead of collapsing like normal, the whole barrier shifted into a warp field. We still can't even figure how that's even possible without the field itself being made of Ezo. Nonetheless, your body was severely damaged upon recovery."

"How _severe_?"

You had multiple lacerations, broken bones, and ruptured organs. It was almost as bad as Shepard."

"Ouch."

"Exactly. We has a team try to examine your body to find the cause of the barrier. The tests have two results. One, you're not a biotic thus not being able to make the field yourself. And two, you were getting better."

My lips curved into a small smile. If Miranda noticed it, she chose to ignore it.

"You were dead!" she said. "And suddenly you just...got better."

"Yeah..." I said, "I imagine your doctors gave up after that."

"Most of them. A few stayed, however."

"Really? That's funny." I said. "So where exactly do I fit in with all of this mess involving Shepard?"

"We planned on creating a new version of medigel. Perhaps something that could help us with reviving Shepard."

"How did they plan on doing that?"

"They tried to use tissue samples to create skin gratfs for test subjects." she said. "But your skin attacked the host. It multiplied as it consumed the hosts body. Eventually, it became an extremely deadly cancer."

"That's...horrible. What happened to the subjects?"

"Subjects one, two, and three survived after the tissue sample was removed. Unfortunately, subject four died."

"What happened to the body?" I asked.

"She asked to be cremated."

"Continue, please." I said with a nod.

"We performed a number of DNA tests on you. Each one gave the same result."

"What did they say?"

"You're a normal, human male. No one believed it, so they ran the tests again. Bone marrow, human. Hair, human. Tissue samples, human."

"I get the feeling you left out blood tests for a reason..."

Miranda smiled. It wasn't the kind one does when they're happy. It was a grin one does after defeating and adversary.

"Blood tests, abnormal." she said. "Your blood has a completely different DNA sequence than the rest of your body. And it's not killing you. Additionally, there are residual traces of Ezo."

I stayed quiet.

"We couldn't make heads or tails with it. We tried giving blood transfusions to another set of subjects. The results were mixed. Your blood healed the wounds on subjects one, three, and four with little side effects. Subject two developed cancer-like symptoms. He survived by having a total blood transfusion."

"You didn't..." I could not believe what I was hearing. "I...I need to go."

"Wait! I still have questions that need to be answered." Miranda said coldly.

_Miranda! No god damned wonder i'm so _hungry!_ I was a personal blood bag for two years! Not even Klaus would be so cruel!_

"What causes your healing factor?"

"Leave me alone, Miranda. There are things no one should ever know."

"Spare me the bullshit. We had a deal. I answer your questions in exchange for you answering mine."

"What can I say? You won't believe me." I said. "And if you do, you'll just try to kill me."

"Hey!" Apparently, Commander Shepard just returned from her meeting with the devil. "No one is allowed to kill each other while I'm talking to crazy terrorists." Shepard said with a grin.

"Shepard..." I began. "I assume you know about Cerberus' involvement to the thresher maw attack?"

Any joking mood Shepard had immediately vanished at the mention of that day. Her posture tightened and she clenched her fists.

"What about it?" she said dryly.

"Well, it turns out that Cerberus used me as an unconscious lab rat for two years."

"You did _what?!_" Shepard said, quickly turning to Miranda. "You owe him an apology _now._"

Miranda looked from Shepard to me and back again. "Fine, Shepard." she said. "I'm sorry."

* * *

**Hey guys! I love everyone who takes the time to read. And if you see any mistakes, feel free to point them out in a review. **

**Chapter three is about one third done. It should be up by next Wednesday.**

**Also I plan on him using Compulsion in a chapter of two. I want to make it have a special style. For example...**

Y_o_u W_i__ll _D_o A_s _I_ S_ay!_

or maybe just underlined?

**Please leave a suggestion in a review :)**

**Shoutout to my new beta, Miranda Lawbringer!**


	3. A Strange New Enemy

**Hey there! Its good to see you again. This chapter is the last one in the prologue. The story will start to diverge in at the end of this chapter.**

**Thanks to my beta for reading and editing this late into the night. #Miranda Lawbringer**

**Quick note. Subject Infinity was a vampire for a while before he was outed again.**

**I own nothing! Yay!**

* * *

"Tell me again why I'm getting my butt shot off again." I yelled over the gunfire. "We haven't even been here for two minutes!"

Shepard, having a full arsenal, pulled out her sniper rifle. She jumped over the crate she was using as cover and aimed. Bang! One of the mechs hit the floor with a loud thud. Shepard didn't stop there though. She ran full speed into a second mech and stabbed it with her omni...blade?

"I don't get it. The mechs should have recognized us as human." Jacob commented.

"Maybe the systems were set to high alert or something during the attack." I said. "Or maybe whatever attacked the colony changed the targeting system to prevent snooping."

"Maybe."

We pushed forward, delayed only by two more mech squads. We then reached a small building that had signs of recent entry. The door opened, only to have a suited humanoid point a weapon at us. "Stop right there!"

I reacted immediately by leveling my gun at its head, as did Shepard and the others.

This time a woman spoke-or at least, I assume it was a woman. "Prazza," she began. "you said you'd let me handle this. Wait...Shepard?"

"Tali?"

"I'm not taking any chances with Cerberus operatives." Prazza said.

"Put those weapons down!" Tali ordered. "Shepard, is that really you? Why would you be with Cerberus?" she asked, turning to Shepard.

"Cerberus rebuilt me, Tali. In return, they've asked me to investigate these attacks on human colonies."

"You'll pardon us," Prazza intervened. "for not taking you at your word, Cerberus." Well. _He's annoying._

"We're well within our rights to investigate attacks on a human colony. I'd like to know what the quarians are doing here." Miranda said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Drop your weapon now!" I yelled.

"Do what he said, Prazza."

The quarian lowered his weapon; I lowered mine.

"What are the quarians even doing on a human colony?" Jacob asked.

"One of our people was here on his Pilgrimage. His name is Veetor." Tali answered. "We came to find him."

"If Veetor survived the attack, he may be our best lead on what happened here." Miranda said.

"That's the hope. However, he might not be in the best state to answer questions. He was injured and nervous..."

"He's unstable." Prazza said. "Combine that with an open-air infection, and he's likely delirious."

"He ran off when we landed, locking himself up in a warehouse on the far side of town. We suspect he programmed the mechs to attack anything that moved."

"Veetor is the only one who can tell us what happened here. We should work together to find him." Shepard said.

"Good idea. You'll need two teams to get past the drones anyway."

Prazza breathed deeply through his air filters. "Now we're working with Cerberus?!" he asked, seemingly disgusted at the notion.

"No, asshole." I began. "You're working with four humans who care about this colony. That makes your friend our top priority right now."

"Good to know." Tali nodded. "Head for the warehouse through the center of the colony. We'll circle around the far side and draw off some of the drones to clear you a path."

"Make sure you stay in radio contact." Shepard said.

"Will do. See you on the far side."

We left through a door on the right that led to a metal catwalk suspended above a small chasm.

"Incoming rockets!" Jacob warned.

We dove into cover behind the railing. Thankfully, it was bulletproof-or in this case, rocket-proof. Shepard looked to Miranda, giving her a signal to take out the rocket drones' shields. Jacob's job was to deflect rockets with his biotics. Shepard and I would take down the drones.

"Now!" Shepard ordered.

We jumped from our cover, Miranda frying the shields of the three drones on the left , leaving only one with its shields. I focused my gunfire on the drone farthest to the left. I was lucky and landed a hit on its thruster, sending it into an explosive barrel roll. My luck, however, was nothing compared to Shepard's skill. She took down both of the unshielded drones that remained. The last drone, even with it's shields, was no match for the combined might of our gunfire.

"Come on. Let's move." Shears ordered as she began to lead us to the next building. She unlocked the door and, to our surprise, a single inactive mech sat near a corner.

"Is it sleeping?" I asked.

_BANG!_ Shepard fired a slug through its metal skull. "Not anymore..."

Just before we moved on, Tali's voice sounded over the radio. "A squad of drones is headed your way." she announced.

Shepard thanked her as she opened a the door. Six drones passed overhead, seemingly oblivious to our presence. They continued until they were out of sight.

"Maybe they didn't see us."

"Doubtful." Miranda said, answering my query. "It looks like they're headed for the warehouse."

After a short distance, we reached the main gate of the warehouse district.

"Take cover." Tali ordered over the radio. "We have trouble."

"Miranda and I will cover the door." Jacob said. "Shepard, you and Infinity take point."

"Ready." Shepard confirmed once the both of us were in position. "Open the gate."

The door slid open and we moved inside. Jacob and Miranda took cover behind a stack of crates while Shepard and I moved to support the quarian squad.

"Run!" a quarian yelled. "There's a Ymir!" The quarian's voice was silenced when a 10-foot tall robot stepped on her, turning her to red paste. It didn't stop there, though, and fired its machine gun into her still-warm body, causing crimson blood to pool beneath its feet.

The sight made my throat dry, a sensation that was becoming all too common.

The Ymir fired multiple rounds at the remaining members of the quarian squad as they ran to a building.

"That mech has heavy armor!" Jacob said once the gunfire had died down. "It's going to be a tough son of a bitch to take down."

"Miranda, use overload to take down its shields." Shepard ordered. "Jacob, use warp on its armor. Once the shields are down, use biotic detonations."

Miranda's overload disabled the Ymir's shields, giving Jacob the opportunity to use his warp. It detonated, slightly denting the mech's hull.

"Company!" Miranda yelled. A squad of rocket drones landed on the roof of the building to the left of us. They fired rocket after rocket, pinning us down behind our cover.

"We have to do something about them now!" Shepard said over the explosions. "Jacob, use a stasis field on the Ymir. Infinity, move to cover behind it and keep its attention."

_But there's fresh blood right over there, and it looks so tasty..._

Jacob locked the Ymir in a stasis field and I ran for the crates near the warehouse. Having not fed in years, I felt sluggish. Rockets exploded just behind me and they were getting closer until just as I got to the crates, a rocket hit my back, taking down my shields. I grabbed the crate and flung myself safely behind it. Explosions shook the crates back and forth. Finally, my shields beeped. Recharged, good.

"Eat shit, metal-head!"I fired my rifle at the Ymir, which was no longer in the stasis field, and it turned towards me. It's machine gun fired, and multiple rounds impacted, causing my shields to drop again. I fell back behind cover and lobbed a grenade at the mech's general location. I didn't bother to check if the grenade landed near the mech though, seeing as I wanted to keep my head. Just my luck, though, my grenade went off just as my shields recharged. I successfully took down its armor.

I now had the Ymir's full and undivided attention. In retrospect, that was not the best of plans.

"Shepard, it's ass is open!" I yelled. Shepard pointed her mantis sniper rifle and took the shot. A high-powered tungsten slug pierced straight through the Ymir's armor plated hull and it collapsed to the ground with a loud thud. It exploded, bringing a delicious smile to my face.

"Hey guys." I said, "I think it's dead..."

"Good job. Now shoot the drones."

"Right..." I vaulted over my crates and ran into the open. The drones, all three of them that remained, set me as primary target, it seems. Three rockets sailed through the air, heading straight for me. One would take down my shields, and two would break through my armor. Three would rip me to bits. Not even a vampire can survive that. My instincts took over, and the monster came out. Everything slowed down to a crawl as I leveled my gun. I wasn't aiming for the drones. No, I was aiming for the rockets. I fired just ahead of their positions, accounting for their movement and tungsten slugs impacted with the rockets, causing them to detonate prematurely. I wasn't done yet, though. I rolled through the black smoke and primed my last two grenades. I hit the drones, in cluster, and they exploded into a violent fireball.

Holy shit!" Jacob said. "I've never seen someone move that fast."

"Not even Leng is that fast." Miranda said, "It looked... Inhuman."

"It was just..." I breathed, "Adrenalin..." I need a lot of blood before I do that again.

"We can talk about this after we get to Veetor." Shepard said. She turned to face me. "But, for the record. That was badass." she said with a grin. She turned and made her way toward the main warehouse with Jacob, Miranda, and I behind her.

* * *

"Monsters coming back." A quarian muttered as he tinkered with what appeared to be the colony's security systems. "Mechs will protect. Safe from swarms. Have to hide. No monsters. No swarms."

_Oh... This can't be good._

"Veetor?" Shepard asked.

"No, Veetor. Not here. Swarms can't find. Monsters coming. Have to hide."

"Nobody is going to hurt you anymore."

"I don't think he can hear you." Jacob said.

Shepard thought for a moment before she brought up her omnitool. With a wave of her hand, she deactivated Veetor's computer terminal. That snapped him from his confirmed stupor. He stood and looked at us, mouth likely gate behind the mask.

"You're human. How did you survive? The monsters took everyone."

"Why didn't they fight back?" Shepard asked.

"You don't know. You didn't see. But, I see everything."

Veetor brought a video on screen. It looked like security footage.

"What the hell is that?" Jacob asked. He to the words right out of my mouth.

The video paused on the image of a humanoid. It stood on two legs and had two arms, but that's where the similarities ended. It had insect-like chitinous armor and bulging eyes. It walked among numerous pods that contained humans inside.

"My god." Miranda gasped, "I think it's a collector."

Shepard massaged her temples. "Is that some kind of new alien?"

"They're a species from beyond the Omega 4 relay." Miranda said, "they usually work through slavers and mercenaries. If they're involved with the reapers somehow, it could explain what happened to the colonies."

"The seeker swarm finds you." Veetor began. " No one can hide. They freeze you, then monsters take you away."

"What happened next?" Shepard asked.

"Monsters took people onto the ship and they left. But they'll be back. No one escapes!" He said, "I recorded them, studied them. Electromagnetic imbalances, dark energy."

"Thank you." Shepard said.

"Alright." Miranda said, "Grab the quarian and call for evac."

"WHAT?" Tali exclaimes as she came through the door. "Veetor is injured and unstable! He's not going anywhere."

"He may have crucial information to help save human colonies." Miranda retorted, "I promise he will remain unharmed."

"He needs a quarian doctor!"

"If you take him, we'll never get the information we need."

"Your welcome to take Veetor's omnitool data. Just let me take him home." Tali pleaded.

"You should come with us." Shepard said, looking to Tali.

"I... Can't. I have a mission of my own now. I can't leave my responsibilities, even for you."

"We're taking him." Miranda said. "Right Shepard?"

While everyone was busy arguing I decided to 'have a few words with veetor. "Veetor, I'm going to help you out here. I just need you to look me in the eyes" I whispered.

Veetor nervously made eye contact through his mask. It had been a long long time since I compelled anyone and a aliens mind was foreign water. But, I always was good at it. "**_Snap out if it, Veetor_**" I Compelled, "**_I know you have been through a lot, but you're okay now. Tali is your friend; I'm your friend. No one will hurt you. Please. Help. Us._**"

* * *

**Shuttle Transport, on route to Cerberus Base.**

"Look. I'm glad you convinced Veetor to help us." Miranda said, "But, how the hell did you convince him? He was unstable!"

"I just told him he was with friends." I said, "He's safe with us."

"I'm right here..." Veetor said, "Please don't talk about me like i'm not here."

"See...!" Miranda said, "He sounds perfectly fine. That's not normal."

"So I snapped him out of it with a hew heartfelt words." I lied, "What's the big deal?"

"Guys..." Veetor tried.

"Fine. You snapped him out of it." Miranda conceded, "But! That doesn't explain why he would help us for no reason."

"..."

"Veetor can do what he want's." I said, "Right, Veetor?"

"I just want to hel-" Veetor was cut off by Miranda.

"Shut up, Veetor. This isn't about you." Miranda said.

"It... what!?" Veetor sighed.

"It's about you." Miranda said, looking at me. "You shot three rockets out of the air, in less than a second!"

"I told you already, it was adrenalin..."

"Bull. Fucking. Shit." Miranda said.

"You shot three rocket out of the air?" Veetor asked.

_Could this get any worse?_

"Hey, I think it was pretty badass." Shepard grinned.

_That would be a yes..._

"It was badass." Jacob agreed.

* * *

**Thank you very much for reading! I hope to see you next time!**

**Feel free to leave a comment, review, fav or follow. They make me very happy.**

**Next chapter should be out in a week and a half. Also Veetor will be joining the Normandy crew.**


	4. Downtime

**Hey there, I wanted to thank you for reading this. I hope you enjoy.**

**I own nothing.**

* * *

**Normandy SR2**

The airlock door opened. It was the first time that we ever stepped foot on the Normandy. I smiled at Shepard's old friend, Jeff Moreau a.k.a. Joker, who was already at the helm of the ship. Turning towards the belly of the ship, the sight stole my breath.

The CIC was breathtakingly beautiful. At the center was an elevated platform with a hologram of the Milky Way galaxy, where Shepard could choose a destination. Numerous terminals surrounded it on each side, two pathways on either side. The twin pathways led to two doors, one labeled 'Tech Lab' and the other 'Armory.'

"Welcome aboard the new Normandy, Commander." Jacob said as we came to a stop in front of the CIC.

"I've looked over the dossiers." Miranda began. "I strongly recommend heading to Omega to find Mordin Solus, the salarian scientist. We know the Collectors use some type of advanced technology to immobilize their victims. We'll need him to develop a countermeasure to protect us."

Veetor subtly squirmed at the mention of the Collectors. "We don't stand a chance against the Collectors without that countermeasure."

"I agree." Shepard said.

"Acquiring Proffessor Solus seems the most logical place to start." a female voice added.

"Who are you?" Shepard asked, looking up towards the ceiling where the voice was heard from.

A blue orb appeared on a nearby holographic console. "I am the Normandy's artificial intelligence. The crew likes to refer to me as EDI."

"An AI?" Veetor sighed before leaving for the elevator.

"What's his problem?" I asked.

"AI's are dangerous..." Shepard answered. Her voice was flat, suggesting that she viewed it as a fact.

EDI took that as a cue to explain. "Due to Cerberus shackles, I observe and offer advice, nothing more. Unlike the geth." With that, EDI disappeared.

"Okay, that's everything? I'm going to see if joker is alright." Shepard said, "He can't be happy about this AI."

"Jacob and I should return to our posts. Come find us if you have any questions." Miranda said. Jacob saluted before he left for the armory.

"I'll go check on Veetor..." I muttered to myself.

Once inside the elevator that led to the rest of the ship, I had EDI help me find Veetor. He was on the engineering deck, in an observation room overlooking the cargo bay. I found him leaning against the wall. Sometimes I wonder what Veetor would be like if I never compelled him out of his madness.

"Hey." I said.

"Hey." He replied.

I pointed to the space next to Veetor. "Is this spot taken?" I asked.

Veetor chuckled, then he gestured for me to sit with him. I sat there waiting for him to say something, but as the minutes passed it became clear that, like me, he didn't have a clue what to say.

_I guess I should start with..._"Are you alright?" I asked.

Veetor rested his helmet against the wall as he looked at the ceiling and sighed. "No." He replied, "Not really."

"Why?" I asked sympathetically.

"That AI." His dry tone sounded robotic through his air filters.

"I kinda got that from your reaction earlier." I said sarcastically.

"Quarians have bad history involving AI's, we treated them like mere machines. But, _it_ dosent sound like a machine." He said, "_It _sounds like a _she_."_  
_

"But, why does that even matter? It's just a robot. Sure, she sounds sexy and all but no need to get tight in your suit." I laughed.

Veetor's glowing eyes blinked in embarrassment from behind his mask. "Y- Wha- I? No!" His sudden incoherent speech only served to worsen my laughter. _  
_

"Veetor, I'm kidding!" I said, having finally calmed down enough to speak. "You need to lighten up."

"Oh, Keelah. You were joking..." Veetor realized, "Humans are strange."

"Pretty much." I said. "We have bad humor."

"Yes you do." He said, "But, I do feel better."

"Good." I smiled.

"You know," Veetor started, "You don't really fit in with Cerberus."

"I guess you have a point there." I acknowledged, "I'm not really sure why I'm here."

"Me neither." Veetor laughed, "I just know that I need to help. It doesn't make much sense."

_Maybe my compulsion went a little farther than I intended? Leaving aside the fact that I didn't know how aliens react to compulsion, it made sense. Veetor was unstable and delirious, of course he would be susceptible to mind alteration._

"Would you leave if we didn't need your help?" I asked. It wasn't to late to remove my compulsion and let Veetor go another way.

"I wo-" The intercom clicked on, cutting Veetor off.

Shepard's voice broadcasted ship wide. "_This is Commander Shepard speaking. We have our mission: find and stop the collectors before they attack any more human colonies._"

There was a pause. "_In the last few years, humanity has become a source of strength for the galaxy. Through our defense of the Citadel, we have shown what humans are made of. Apparently the Collectors didn't get the memo._"

The very air hung on Shepard's every word. "T_his began with an attack on Human colonies! The enemy has advanced technology and a means to disable an entire colony at once. We're on our way to Omega to find a scientist who can create a countermeasure. Once in hand, we can rip the Collectors a new one. I'm not going to lie to you though, this mission won't be easy. They tell me it's a suicide mission. With your help, I intend to prove them wrong._"

"Damn." I thought aloud, "She's something else."

"Yeah. She is." Veetor said, more to himself than me. We sat there in silence for a few more minutes before Veetor's voice sounded through the air. "I will stay. Not because they need my help, but because I want to help your people keep their homes."

"Home..." I said, "I don't even know where home is."

"On the flotilla, we have a saying. Home is where your friends and family are."

"I don't have many friends. And my family is gone." I said. It was something that I didn't usually bring up, but I didn't remember my life before that night in the alley. That night my life ended and a new one began. "But, enough angst for now." I stood up and offered Veetor my hand.

He took it, and I pulled him up. "You're right." He said with a smile in his voice. "But, for the record. I would be proud to call you my friend."

"And I would be proud to call you the same."

Veetor became my first friend on the Normandy. And my first friend in a long time.

* * *

**Normandy SR2, Cargo Bay**

Later that night I was fiddling with my blasted omni-tool. It's a lot like an old smartphone, with most programs organized into apps of various functions. There was a black box function that let you access files and programs in a way similar to an old PC. After a while, I discovered something called the extranet. With my curiosity piqued, I tapped the 'Initiate' button. The holographic display immediately loaded a search engine type web page.

_Oh... The modern internet. It's probably all porn._

_Oh God_, I was right. I couldn't navigate through even a basic Wikipedia page without pop ups that showed a blue woman getting penetrated by strange jellyfish.

_That's... Just wrong on so, so many levels!_

After an hour of searching for a way to block the obscene material, I found a widget. I immediately downloaded it and was able to search in peace.

First topic, vampires... _No result? What the fuck? That's impossible. Where's Dracula, where's Twilight? There's nothing. No result. _It was then that I realized, I wasn't just the last vampire, I was the only vampire ever. Even more, there's no myths about them. I squealed like a little girl at the good news_. _

Second topic, alien species... _Okay, that's a lot of aliens... Who's important?_

It took a bit of work, but I found out that most of the galaxy follows the rule of the Citadel Council, headed by Turians, Salarians, Asari and Humans.

As it turns out the blue women I mentioned from earlier are members of the mono-gender race known as the Asari. They are native to the planet Thessia. Most consider them to be the most powerful species in the galaxy. Additionally, they were the first to discover and settle on the Citadel. They are known for their ability to reproduce with a partner of any gender or species, as well as their diplomacy, and biotic aptitude. As a side note, _they're really sexy._

The Salarians are a race of amphibians. The have tall and slender bodies, with two horns atop their head. Salarians are noted for their high-speed metabolism, which allows them to live on just one hour of sleep a day. Therefor, their minds and bodies work faster than most sapient races, making them seem restless or hyperactive. The drawback of this active metabolism is a short lifespan of around 40 human years. They also lay eggs, and somehow only about ten percent of their population is female. _That's kinda sad to be honest._

Turians are on average six feet tall and covered in a thin metallic skin. They have deep-set eyes and a set of mandibles around their mouths. Their entire biology is that of a predator. Culturally, the Turians value honor and military strength. They serve as the military enforcer for the council. Apparently they attacked humans a while back, sparking what they call the Relay 312 Incident. _Basically they underestimated the human fleets and got their asses handed to them. They probably resent us for it._

_Alright, so those are the big players. _

I decide to do some more searching, this time on Biotics. Finding a basic explanation was harder than you think, because almost every site had political bullshit sugar-coating it. I found a site called the Galactic Codex, which had an easy explanation of almost everything in the galaxy.

Biotics is the ability to create mass effect fields using eezo nodules embedded in body. These powers augmented by using bio-amps, of which the most common and stable are the L3's. Biotics can knock enemies over from a distance, lift them into the air, generate gravitational vertices to tear obstacles or enemies apart, or create protective barriers.

_Space magic is still space magic. _

A popup message, bearing the cerberus symbol, appeared. Out of curiousuty, I clicked it. I'm glad I did.

* * *

_Sender: Miranda Lawson_

_Subject: Payment Contract_

_I wanted to take this chance to formally apologize for Cerberus using you without consent. I was skeptical in both Project Lazarus and the usage of your body in Project Infinity. But, I had my directives. I hope we can work together without any issues._

_On that note, Shepard has informed me that you will be joining us on our mission against the Collectors. To be specific, she said you will be on the ground team, and while I never heard any such talks between you two, I won't argue. As such, I have created a contract for your payment. Feel free to read it over, and when you're ready, all you have to do is sign it and send it back to me. I hope that you will agree to our very generous terms and payments._

_Attachment: Payment _

_By this contract, Miranda Lawson agrees to make payments to Subject Infinity, herby known as lender, by following schedule in exchange for the lenders service both aboard the Normandy SR2 and as part of the Ground team under Commander Shepard's directive. This payment schedule is enforceable by law._

_By this contract, it is agreed that a payment of 6,000 credits will be surrendered to the lender every 1st and 15th of the month. Additionally, a payment of 14,000 credits will be surrendered to the lender on signing of this document._

_This agreement is binding. By signing this agreement, all parties agree to the terms as described above. Alterations to this agreement can only be made by both parties and must be placed in writing. Both parties will receive a proper copy of this agreement, and will be responsible for upholding its terms._

* * *

I looked over the terms. Before I signed I decided it was best to find out how much a credit was worth. _Back to the codex!_

A long while back, the credit was established as the standard galactic currency by the Citadel's Unified Banking Act. The act was created by the volus, another alien species. Credits have an average value of all currencies. Meaning, some regional currencies are worth more than a credit, and some less. As a side note, the credit is worth about the same as a 2012 US Dollar.

_HOLY SHIT! That's a lot of money..._

Taking my pay into account, I signed the document and emailed it back to Miranda. Ten seconds later I received another message.

* * *

_Sender: Miranda Lawson_

_Subject: Thank you_

_Thank you for signing the contract._

_When you click the Accept Transaction attachment at the bottom of the page, it will create a secure bank account for you, and the credits will be added shortly._

_Come see me some time, I would like to ask you some more invasive questions. Also I suggest you see Jacob in the Armory. You need to be ready for Omega, we will be there tomorrow morning._

**_Accept Transaction Yes/No_**

_Sincerely, __Miranda Lawson_

* * *

I had a seeking suspicion that Miranda had that email typed out before I even signed her document. Either way, it didn't really matter. _All I have to do is click this button, and Ill have more money than I've ever had before. _I accepted the transaction, which activated my omnitool's blackbox function.

_Galactic Unified Banking..._

_-Scanning Biometrics... _

_ -Unique DNA acquired...  
_

_ -Fingerprints acquired..._

_ -Setting up account..._

_Welcome, to Cerberus secure accounting. _

_Starting funds being transferred... Done._

_Status: 14,ooo Credits_

Once the funds transferred, I followed Miranda's advice and found the armory. It was a good sized room with lots of guns laying on a number of work benches. Jacob was preoccupied with a gun, Shepard's sniper rifle by the look of it. The gun was separated into its parts, consisting of a barrel, stock, upper receiver, lower receiver, trigger assembly, and a number of parts I didn't recognize. Jacob noticed me.

"Hey." He said, "Need something?"

"Yeah, but is it okay if I watch first?" I asked, "I'm not very knowledgeable about modern weapons."

"Sure." Jacob replied, "Would you like me to explain what I'm doing?"

"That would be helpful." I laughed, " I only recognize a little over half the parts.

"Well weapons have changed a lot in the last two years."

"Does that have to do with the attack on the citadel?"

"Actually, it does." Jacob said. He picked up the upper receiver and a tiny box. "This is the Mass Accelerator. The more electricity it gets, the faster the projectile will go." He put the box into the upper receiver and place it on the table.

Jacob grabbed the lower receiver and a small battery. "This is the Micro Capacitor. It supplies the electricity." He slid the capacitor into a back of the receiver and placed it back down.

"The frame connects with the on board computer and scope." Jacob said. "First you connect the upper and lower receivers, like this. Then you slide the body over it. There should be a click." Jacob pushed the parts together, causing said clicking noise. "Now, you attach the barrel to the frame. Then the stock."

"Wow. That's... Complex." I deadpanned.

"Not really." Jacob said, "The mantis is one of the more simple guns out there."

"Right..." I said, "So what did you change?"

"I replaced the accelerator. Now I need to test it for recoil. That's the limiting factor for practical usage." Jacob said.

He picked up the rifle and gave it one last check. "Alright, what can I help you with?"

"Miranda told me to give you a visit." I said, "I'm going with Shepard tomorrow."

"Let's set up your armor then." Jacob said, "The Normandy shipped with three different armor variants. Assault, Kestrel, and Terminus. Assault is the standard armor for most Cerberus operatives. It focuses on keeping users alive and healthy." Jacob pulled up an image of the Cerberus assault armor. It had a boxy frame and ugly detailing.

"Next is Kestrel." Jacob said, as he switched the image to armor vaguely resembling Shepard's. "Kestrel focuses on increasing your accuracy. It also increases shields by 25 percent."

"Lastly is Terminus." The image showed a sexy n sleek suit of black armor with glowing red details. "The Terminus Armor focuses on increasing speed, ammo and shields. It has an on-board combat suite manager." And it looks awesome!

"I'll go with the terminus armor." I said. "I'm fast, strong and the shield boost won't hurt."

"Good choice." Jacob said, "Let's move on to you're combat module, aka powers. The terminus armor has two CSM ports."

"What are my choices?" I asked.

"First, the Adrenal XR1 injects a fast acting synthetic dosage of adrenaline, increasing perceptive abilities, speed, and strength." Jacob said, "Secondly, the C71 Tech Armor creates an advance shield on demand that blocks incoming fire until it's destruction, upon which it explodes causing damage to nearby entities. Thirdly, the Medigel Code Red. When the combat suit is breached, this module injects a dosage of medigel into the local wound. I highly recommend that one."

"Shielding Mark 10 increases shield strength dramatically, but requires two slots, due to its need for extra power." Jacob said, "Lastly, the Tactical Cloak uses shields to create a invisibility field that bends light around the user, effectively making the user invisible for a time."

Before Deciding what to use, I had to take into account my not so natural abilities.

_As a vampire, I'm both stronger and faster than a normal person. But I still have, and react to adrenaline. I could move faster and hit harder than an Original on demand. That's... Useful. __I have unnaturally fast healing, to the point where cuts heal in seconds as long as I'm well fed. If I can feed at omega, I'll be able to skip the Medigel. __I also have the ability to compel people so long as I have eye contact. I should find someway to draw people to my eyes. __And, as long as I have my ring, the sun won't hurt me.. This whole universe is oblivious to me. So, I don't have to worry about any wooden stakes or vervain. That only leave my head as a weakness. And my ring, I should find a way to protect them._

"That's a lot to choose from, but I'll go with the Adrenal XR1 and the C71 Tech Armor." I said.

"That's a unique choice." Jacob smiled, "I'll get your armor set up for you by tomorrow."

"Thank you, Jacob." I said, "I'll see you tomorrow morning."

The CIC was just as busy as usual when I left the armory. People checked the systems and scanners from time to time, making sure that everything was green. Not for the first time, I was reminded of just how surreal, reality had become. I was on a star ship, traveling at faster than the speed of light. Something you could only dream of back home. But, hey it wasn't the first time my world was flipped on its head. Even with my discovery of the codex, I felt very out of touch with events. I didnt have much to relate to people with. After some deliberation, I decided to pay Miranda a visit. Miranda's office had a clean and minimalist style to it, with a forward facing desk that curved along the side wall and a Cerberus logo on the wall. Multiple monitors lined her desk space, allowing for maximum efficiency.

"Infinity, I'm glad you came." Miranda said.

"Well, you're kinda my boss now, right?" I mussed, "I'd rather not get fired for disobeying orders."

"Funny, but, I'm only the one signing the checks." She said, "The Illusive man wants you to follow Shepard's lead."

"Noted." I said, "May I sit?"

"Please do." Miranda smiled as I sat in the guest seat.

"No doubt you have questions." I said, "So why don't we play a little game?"

"Oh? What kind of game?" Miranda asked.

"I think we can call it _personal_." I said, "Basically, I get to ask you something each time I answer a question."

"I guess that's fair." Miranda said, "I have spent the last two years trying to learn everything about you. Not that I got anywhere. So, what would you like to know?"

"Can you tell me what you learned while studying me?"

"Of course." Miranda said. "There's not much beyond what you already know. You regenerate at an astounding rate and with no apparent cause and your blood has different DNA from the rest of your body. Beyond that, our scientists have hypothesized it possible for you to develop biotics."

"Really?"

"Yes. Now I believe its my turn." Miranda stated, "Do you know what causes regeneration?"

"Yes." I said, "But, I didn't have a choice in becoming what I am."

Miranda was unusually quiet. I wasn't sure if it was something I said, or didn't say, but I could feel some ounce of pain in her eyes. Was she like me, changed by someone, against her will?

"What's wrong, Miranda? Did I remind you of something?"

"Yes." She said, "It just pisses me off that there are more people out there who think they can just go and change people without permission."

"I know the feeling."

"I've had extensive genetic modification. Not my choice either. But I make the most of it."

"What are the benefits?" I asked.

"I'm stronger, faster and smarter than the average human. And, I'll likely live half again as long as one. My biotics are a result of modifications as well."

"That sounds useful." I said.

"It is. Hell, even my looks were designed to give me an edge." She said, "Include the best education money can by, and , It's why I'm tasked with the most important projects in all of Cerberus."

"You make it sound like you were designed to be perfect." I said, "But, you're just human."

That last comment shocked Miranda. She smiled. "Shepard said the same thing. About me being perfect. Do you know what I told her?"

"My crude deduction skills tell me that you're going to tell me if I don't guess correctly."

"You're deduction skills aren't as crude as you claim them to be." Miranda said with a smile in her voice. "I told her, I'm only human, even with my modifications."

* * *

**Only human... I had a strange mix of emotions while writing this chapter. There was so much emotional stuff that I was able to put into it, even if it was subtext. :P**

**Well I hope you guys liked this chapter. The next chapter will feature Omega.**

**Feel free to review the story even if it's criticism. It gives me a chance to learn from my mistakes.**


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